Tag: beauty boosters

My love affair with pine nuts is fairly recent. Although this beloved seed has been eaten since the ancient times for their nutritional benefits, I only tried it for the first time four years ago. But since then, pine nuts have become my go to addition when I want to take a simple dish to the next level. Aside from its delicious nutty taste, pine nuts are a great beauty boosting food. Here are my top three reasons to reach for the pine nuts:

The majority of the fat in pine nuts is made up of monounsaturated fats, which is the primary fat in the Mediterranean diet. Monounsaturated fats are helps to keep the cardiovascular system healthy making pine nuts great for heart health. It is also great for skin health as it keeps the skin healthy and hydrated from the inside out.

Pine nuts are packed with antioxidants such as selenium, Vitamins A, B, C, E & K and lutein. These antioxidants help the body to combat the signs of aging by fighting free radicals. They also help to keep the skin supple and young looking with good elasticity

Pine nuts also contain many anti-inflammatory properties which help with a myriad of skin conditions including eczema, psoriasis, acne and itching.

And there you have it – 3 beautiful reasons to complement your dishes with pine nuts. What is your favourite way to include pine nuts in your cooking – let me know in the comments below.

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS

Please Note: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for a consultation or medical treatment from a qualified physician or healthcare practitioner.

I use to hate cardamom. Growing up it was sporadically used in certain dishes, and for some reason I would always end up biting into a cardamom pod while enjoying my food. The bold flavour of this pod always turned such a minor incident into a traumatizing experience and would always ruin the entire meal for me. While calling this experience with cardamom pods traumatic may be considered an overreaction for some, when you enjoy food as much as I do anything that ruins a meal gains an automatic spot on my hate list.

For many years I avoided cardamom determined to not experience the trauma I had offered suffered while I was younger. Then a few years ago, I was trying out a new cake recipe that required ground cardamom and I decided to give this exotic spice a second chance. Thankfully, the cake turned out delicious and the cardamom enhanced both the flavour and the fragrance of the cake. This led me to start adding ground cardamom to other dishes, my favourites being my golden milk recipe and warm chia pudding. The spice that I had hated for so long was suddenly a spice rack staple that I couldn’t live without.

For those of you that are not familiar with cardamom, it is a member of the ginger family and is well known spice from India. It is often considered a warming spice with a beautiful fragrance making it an ideal spice to use in desserts, tea and coffee. There are two types of cardamom – green cardamom and brown cardamom. Green cardamom is the more superior form of cardamom, is available in both pod or powder form and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. Brown cardamom is only used in savoury dishes, it is an essential ingredient in Garam Masala which is a popular Indian spice mix and it is also known for its medicinal properties. There are many reasons to include cardamom into your diet but I have narrowed it down to my top three:

It is filled with antioxidants. Many of the vitamins and minerals in cardamom act as antioxidants within the body. These antioxidants help to clean up any free radicals and helps to prevent cellular aging.

Bad breath – a great and natural way to freshen your breath is to chew on a couple of pods. The antibacterial properties in cardomom help to fight germs and may also be helpful when dealing with mouth ulcers and infections.

Alleviates digestive issues – many people reach for cardamom to help with any digestive issues that they may be struggling with. Used in a warm tonic, cardamom can help when you have over eaten, or are dealing with indigestion and flatulence issues.

Try using cardamom in desserts, tea or coffee to add flavour and to reap the benefits of this wonderful spice. What’s your favourite way to use cardamom? Let me know in the comments below👇🏼

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS

Please Note: This blog post is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for a consultation or medical treatment from a qualified physician or healthcare practitioner.